Democrats aim for sweep of all 13 Mecklenburg NC House seats

Two Mecklenburg County races, in Districts 98 and 105, are all that stands between Democrats and a sweep of all 13 state House districts. Whether they can win the two toss-up seats will likely determine whether Republicans retain any foothold in the county’s delegation.

Districts 98, represented by state Rep. Beth Helfrich, D-Mecklenburg, is a D+1; and District 105, represented by Rep. Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg, an R+0 district, are the two toss-up districts in an otherwise blue county, according to the 2026 Civitas Partisan Index (CPI) from the John Locke Foundation. Cotham is being challenged by Democrat Kevin McCool and Helfrich by Republican John Rhodes. 

“Those two districts are the Republicans’ last hope of winning House districts in Mecklenburg,” Andy Jackson, director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “The 98^th is a natural suburban district in the northern corner of the county, while the 105^th was gerrymandered to give Tricia Cotham a Republican-leaning district after she switched from the Democratic Party in 2023.” 

Cotham’s combined tenure in the House exceeds a decade, with her first tenure serving the 100th district from 2007-2016 as a Democrat and then returning to the House in 2023 after switching her party affiliation. 

“I do represent a toss-up district, and while I did change parties, my priority to work hard on behalf of my district has not changed,” Cotham told the Carolina Journal. “Voters see past party labels, and I am going to keep delivering results for my district no matter what.”

Democrat Helfrich is in her first term serving in the House. She has been a primary sponsor of bills such as HB 322, which would make General Assembly records public, and bills related to “women’s rights,” such as HB 473 and HB 474.  

Helfrich is also a primary sponsor of HB 1066, the Childcare Stabilization & Affordability Act, which was filed on April 29. If passed, the bill would reduce $150 million in non-recurring funds in FY27 and $240 million in recurring funds in FY28 from appropriations to the Opportunity Scholarship Grant Fund Reserve. With the potential for the recurring cut to continue indefinitely, annual appropriations for the program could fall from $700 million to $460 million in FY28 and from $825 million to $585 million in FY23 and beyond. 

“Both districts have shifted in favor of Democrats from 2024 to 2026,” said Jackson. “The 98^th went from R+1 to D+1, and the 105^th went from R+2 to R+0. Given the political environment, Helfrich will likely win. Cotham is in for the political fight of her life, however. In 2024, in a better environment for Republicans, she only won by 213 votes out of 54,385 cast. If Cotham loses, it may be a long time before another Republican represents Mecklenburg County in the North Carolina House.”

Of the 120 seats in the NC House, 37 are considered safely Democratic, with another six leaning likely Democratic and four leaning Democratic, according to the CPI. Seven races are rated as toss-ups. On the Republican side, 15 seats lean Republican, 10 are likely Republican, and 41 are considered safely Republican.

“Democrats aim for sweep of all 13 Mecklenburg NC House seats” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.